The Fall of Pinkie Pie
by Pretzhog
Summary: All hell breaks loose as Pinkie Pie confronts Trixie.  Episode 6 of FiM: Boast Busters, expect more chapters to come.
1. Chapter 1: The Accident

**MY LITTLE PONY: FRIENDSHIP IS MAGIC**

**EPISODE 6: BOAST BUSTERS (RE-EDIT)**

**Chapter 1: The Accident**

"...Was there ever any doubt," The magical unicorn said dryly as she began to walk off stage. However she was interrupted by a shrill voice, belonging to none other than Pinkie Pie.

"Wait one itty-bitty moment!" The pink pony stomped her hoof down, redrawing the attention of the dying crowd. Trixie twisted her head back as soon as Pinkie's words were uttered. The unicorn almost let out a humoring giggle, seeing the pink pony donned in her one-girl party gear.

"This isn't a comedy competition little girl..." Trixie scoffed.

"You said you could do _any_-thing better than any-pony else! And to be honest, nobody throws a good party like me!" Pinkie Pie invited herself onto the stage, staring down her opponent.

"Oh really?" Trixie smirked, raising an eyebrow, "and you didn't notice the opening effects from before?" The unicorn rubbed the fact in the pink pony's face. "Because I can easily refresh your memory!"

"Oh I saw alright!" The pink pony replied, pulling a lever on the side of her costume. Several rows of fireworks, bottle rockets, and fire crackers extended from both sides. The spectacle had almost intimidated Trixie as she took a few steps back in caution. "Stand back every-pony!" Pinkie Pie warned the crowd and unicorn before grabbing hold of the same lever again with her mouth.

The majority of the crowd hit the dirt as Pinkie's explosive projectiles soared through the air. Ear piercing whistles cut through the air as a dark fog of the fireworks' exhaust covered the area. Every-pony was blinded in a thick haze. Even the all amazing Trixie wasn't prepared for what was in store for her.

"Watch out!" Pinkie Pie tried to warn the unicorn as a bottle rocket blazed towards her direction. Unfortunately the pony's advice was a tad late as the projectile ricocheted off of Trixie's horn, applying enough force to render the poor unicorn unconscious. "Oh my! I didn't mean for that to happen!" The pink pony cried out as she watched Trixie tumble to the floor.

The accident had gone unnoticed by the audience, who were too busy cowering for their lives, their shrill hollers for help drowning each others out. No one had any idea what had taken place on stage. In a matter of moments, Pinkie's one girl parade had come to a halt. Rainbow Dash took the responsibility of blowing the massive smokescreen away.

"I didn't mean it!" Pinkie Pie was completely exposed to the audience, ducking and shaking in fear of what just happened. It took the recovering crowd a few seconds to soak up the scene. Some gasped in fear, some ran for safety, others were speechless and petrified. Twilight sparkle was the first to speak up.

"Pinkie Pie, what happened?" The purple unicorn climbed onto stage, approaching her unstable friend as her eyes kept trained on the motionless unicorn.

"I... I tried to warn her!" The pink pony burst into tears, already remorseful.

"...You mean Trixie?" Twilight had broken away from the sobbing pony to further inspect the victim of the whole mess.

"...Y-Yes," Pinkie replied, snorting up the snot that was running down her nose.

"Hmmm..." The purple unicorn leaned down, checking Trixie's pulse with a hoof and ear, "...She's alright, just a little dazed is all," Twilight confirmed.

"Oh?" Pinkie's tears had instantly stopped. "So she's not dead?" The pink pony sprang to her feet, shedding the rest of her gear off. The whole gang gathered around the unconscious unicorn. Fluttershy began to speak her mind.

"Oh my... How dreadful," The yellow pegasus winced at the body, feeling more than just sympathetic.

"Don't worry every-pony," Twilight reassured her friends, "she just needs some time to rest."

"Well I reckon I could take her in for awhile," Applejack volunteered as she walked over to Trixie, setting aside her bitterness.

"Great!" Twilight nodded with a smile, "as for the rest of us, I think we should clean this place up a bit..."

"Hey Twi," Applejack called, "I think you might wanna take a look at this," the orange pony motioned for her friend with a hoof.

"What is it Applejack?" The purple unicorn asked as she turned back over to the body.

"I can't describe it, but...Eh, why don't you have a gander for yourself," The orange pony flinched as she slowly removed Trixie's pointy hat.

"...W-What, I don't even..." Twilight was at a loss for words as she carefully examined the sight. A lone wand protruded where the motionless unicorn's horn used to be, no traces of blood, but a bruise encircled the base of the wand.

"...I think I know how she pulls off all her stunts now," Applejack concluded as she placed the magician's hat back on Trixie's head.

"I never seen anything like it," The purple unicorn had to shake the visual from her head. The discussion had drawn the curiosity of Rainbow Dash over.

"What's going on?" The rainbow pegasus asked, eying Trixie up cautiously.

"N-nothing!" Applejack replied instantly, not wanting Dash to witness what they had.

"It doesn't _seem_ like nothing," Dash smirked, knowing something was up.

"...Let's just say," Twilight started, "that Trixie isn't really a unicorn..."

"Huh?" The confused pegasus retracted her head a bit.

"We'll explain later Dash, just focus on cleaning, I'm gonna escort Applejack and Trixie back to my place." Twilight's comment placed the confusion back onto Applejack

"Huh? I thought we were goin' to my place?" The orange pony questioned.

"You were... But now that I've seen the _real_ Trixie for myself, I'm curious to know why she did what she did," a small smile curved on the purple unicorn's lips.

"Alrighty then, just put'er on my back and we'll get goin'," Applejack knelt down, letting Twilight place the dazed unicorn on her back.

"Hmph, fine then," Dash grumbled, feeling left out, "but when she wakes up, I wanna be the first to know!" She shouted as the duo departed with Trixie.


	2. Chapter 2: No Pinkie!

**Chapter 2: No Pinkie!**

Trixie was covered with blanket up to her neck, she was still unresponsive. Her bruise was still ripe on her head with the wand untouched. Applejack kept a close eye on the unicorn as Twilight Sparkle was going from book to book, searching for any information that might be relevant to wands... That or how they get placed in ponies' heads.

"Ugh, this is getting me nowhere!" Twilight groaned to herself, still keeping persistent.

"Hey Twilight," Rainbow Dash had welcomed herself in, still smug as ever, "how's Trixie doing?"

"Rainbow Dash? Aren't you supposed to be working?" The purple unicorn glared at her new guest.

"Naah, I got some other pony working in my place," Dash batted a hoof in the air.

"Dash! Ugh, whatever, seeing as you're here, I can still put you to work," Twilight pushed the blue pegasus towards her library.

"Awh, more work?" Dash complained, fighting against the unicorn's push.

"You're gonna help me find out why Trixie has a wand in her head," The unicorn grunted as she pushed.

"What? Trixie has a wand in her head?" The shock stopped Dash from fighting back, causing her to be pushed over completely by Twilight.

"Opps! Did I say that out loud?" Twilight chuckled nervously as the pegasus regained her footing, soon rushing to see Trixie. "Dash! Wait!" The unicorn tried to stop her, but it was to no avail.

"Applejack! Where's Trixie?" Dash's loud mouth nearly scared Applejack out of her skin.

"Shhh! You shouldn't be so loud!" The orange pony placed a hoof over the pegasus' mouth for a moment.

"Geez, fine then," Rainbow Dash agreed sourly.

"Dash!" Twilight called out, "You shouldn't be up here!"

"I'm not hurting anybody," Dash objected, desperately wanting to see the wand for herself.

"But you're making our task much more harder, come on Dash, let's go," Twilight took a mouth's grip on the pegasus' tail, attempting to drag her out of the room. Dash had fought back, not leaving the room without a fight. "Huh?" The purple unicorn released Dash, causing the pegasus to fall face first to the floor with a painful shout, "what are you girls doing here?" Twilight asked as she saw the rest of the gang welcoming themselves in. Pinkie answered the unicorn's question.

"This whole disaster was my fault, I just couldn't stand knowing that fact Twilight. So I hurried to clean as fast as I could so I could see how Trixie was doing! Is she doing alright?" The pink pony spoke a mile a minute.

"...Uh, she's still hanging in there Pinkie Pie," Twilight tried not to spill the beans like she did with Dash.

"Yeah right," Dash cut in, rubbing her stubbed nose with a hoof, "I heard there was a wand sticking out of her head!" Dask smirked, knowing Twilight couldn't possibly stop a riled up crowd.

"Whaaat?" Pinkie Pie gasped, instantly rushing over to Trixie's side, "Applejack, is what Rainbow Dash saying true?" Her words caused the orange pony to hesitate with her answer. Twilight interjected, placing a hoof over Applejack's mouth.

"Dash is just exaggerating!" The purple unicorn laughed nervously, her lips trying to smile.

"No I'm not! You told me yourself!" Rainbow Dash trotted up to the other side of the bed, removing Trixie's hat without any permission at all. The unicorn's wound was exposed to all, causing a wave a gasps to travel around the room.

"How could I have let this happen!" Pinkie Pie got down on herself, almost reducing herself to tears again.

"Girls! Girls!" Twilight started again, "It's not that bad! she's still in stable condition," the purple unicorn explained, "...Besides, Applejack and I found her like that. We just didn't want to scare you with what we found."

"Oh gosh," Fluttershy gawked at the bruise, "that looks really painful... Don't you think we should take her to a doctor?" The yellow pegasus suggested.

"I don't think it's a recent wound Fluttershy," Twilight replied, "she claimed to be a unicorn and when we found her afterwords, her horn was replaced with a wand. Applejack and I believe her horn was fake," the purple unicorn glared at the wand in disgust, had reading a bit of a wands origins in a small section of an encyclopedia.

"A magic wand?" Rarity questioned, "are you serious?" The white unicorn nudged the ponies aside to see for herself, a sharp inhale of air entered her lungs as she witnessed the full scene. "What an abomination!" the sight was too much for Rarity as she ducked out.

"Oh come on Rarity," Dash began, "it doesn't look _that_ bad!"

"You've got to be joking! That bruise was throbbing every other second! It's repulsive!" The white unicorn objected as Pinkie Pie took her place.

"I'm sure we can wiggle that wand out with just the right touch," Pinkie Pie estimated before placing her teeth on the tip of the wand.

"Pinkie, no!" Twilight rushed to push the pink pony away from the wand. However, Pinkie Pie had learned her own lesson once the wand had given the pony an unpleasant shock.

"Aaaah!" The pink pony was thrown back from the force. Landing on her tail, Pinky Pie was in a daze as her mane was frizzed to smoking perfection.

"Pinkie Pie!" Her friends rushed to her side, swift to give her a hoof back up.

"Are you alright?" Twilight Sparkle waved a hoof in front of the pony's face, wondering if she was still stunned. The pink pony quickly snapped back into reality, shaking her mane back into place.

"Of course!" Pinkie replied happily, as if the accident never happened. But before she could take another step a red gleam sparkled in her eyes that went unnoticed by all her friends. Pinkie's eyes glared back at the wand, her new desire. There was no reason behind her giant urge to claim the magic wand for herself, she just _had _to have it. Though she would have to wait for now, her friends would certainly stop her from trying to nab it again if they were nearby.

"Anyways," Twilight Sparkle returned to Trixie's side, "I've searched some information on these magic wands, and I don't think you girls are gonna like this..." The purple unicorn advised.

"I can handle it!" Dash stepped up boldly as Fluttershy hid her face.

"Well the same magic wand you see here can only be authentic if it's constructed from unicorn horns!" The words caused Rarity to hold onto her horn dearly.

"That's an atrocity!" The white unicorn disapproved of the horrific action.

"I just wonder who this Trixie thinks she is to think she has the right to do this..." Twilight glared at the downed unicorn, loaded with questions to fire at her.

"Anyways girls," Applejack started, "I think y'all should give Trixie some room to breath, I'm sure y'all have other important things to do," the orange pony pushed the others towards the exit.

"Hey! Come on," Rainbow Dash complained, "Just a little bit longer!"

"No Dash," Twilight helped Applejack keep the blue pegasus from breaking through. In the middle of their struggle, Pinkie Pie had seen this as the perfect opportunity to jump in and pluck the wand. Without a word, the red-eyed pony launched herself over her friends and trotted over to the wand.

"Pinkie Pie!" Twilight Sparkle shouted, realizing the pink pony had broken through their guard. "Don't do it! Don't you remember the last time you tried that?" But the purple unicorn's words had no effect on Pinkie.

Grabbing hold of the wand once again, Pinkie Pie's body had an electrical current flowing through it. Withstanding the pain and electrical push, the pink pony found enough time to yank the wand out of Trixie's head.

"Pinky...!" Twilight was at a lost for words.

"...It's time we changed this world up a bit," Pinkie Pie said with a mouthful and a sinister little giggle. The red-eyed pony wasted no time making use of the wand, forever changing the lives of her friends as well as her own.


	3. Chapter 3: Trixie?

**Chapter 3: Trixie?**

Twilight Sparkle and company found themselves stranded within a sea of grass being blown around by a gentle breeze. A few tall trees stood around the scenery, blocking out the sun slightly in some areas. The heat that poured down proved to be an annoyance as Twilight wiped the sweat from her head.

"...Where are we?" Twilight asked nobody in particular, "how long were we out?" Twilight wobbled, attempting to stay stable on her hoofs. Rainbow Dash let out a yawn before speaking her mind.

"...I felt like I just got done flying out of a hurricane," the pegasus too struggled to find balance.

"Did any-pony else catch what happened?" Twilight shook her head, regaining her thoughts, "...All I remember was Pinkie Pie pulling the wand out, mumbling something, and then everything going white."

"Your guess is as good as mine Twi," Applejack stood strong, trying not to let vertigo get the better of her.

"Ugh... Is Pinkie Pie still here?" Twilight looked around, her vision still shaken. Fluttershy was still in the middle of trying to climb to her own hooves.

"...Could anypony lend a hoof?" The yellow pegusus' head was still spinning.

"Give me a sec," Applejack wobbled towards the plea.

"Is my hair alright at least?" Rarity felt her mane up and down, hoping recent events took mercy on her appearance. The unicorn's comment caused Twilight's eyes to roll.

"There's more important things to worry about right now... Like where we are," The purple unicorn's vision was beginning to focus.

"Careful now..." Applejack warned as she slowly helped Fluttershy up.

"Oh my..." The pegasus took her time, the motions nagging at her stomach.

"I'd like to know what's going on too..." Another voice entered the mix. The sound alone had perked Twilight Sparkle's curiosity some.

"That voice..." Thinking about it gave the unicorn a headache.

"...I don't think we've met, I'm Trixie," the voice introduced itself.

"Tr-Trixie!" Twilight stuttered, turning around to face the blue pony, who was still a blur in her sights.

"...That's me," The Trixie replied, taking a few steps back in caution.

"It sounds like you're feeling better, if I could actually see, I would have a better judgment," Twilight assumed.

"I'm feeling fine actually, just a small headache is all..." Trixie rubbed her forehead, her hoof soon happening upon the gap in her head.

"About that... We ended up finding tha-" Trixie cut off the unicorn with a sharp scream.

"I can't believe they went against my wishes and placed that accursed wand in my head!"

"...Excuse me?" Twilight raised an eyebrow.

"The wand..." The blue pony took a deep breath in.

"I was going to ask you about that..." The unicorn stepped closer.

"It's not what you think! That wand is possessive! I saw it for my own eyes!"

"Possessive?" Rarity cut in, wondering what nonsense was going on this time.

"Yes! That wand goes back years... Decades... Even centuries!" Trixie explained as Applejack joined the conversation

"So it's really old is what yer sayin'?" The orange pony listened in.

"Absolutely! It goes back to my great-great-ancestors! I came from a long line of magicians who've all used that same wand... however they all met tragic fates because of it. Personally, I wanted the wand destroyed before it ever came my way," Trixie gazed at the ground, avoiding eye contact with her fellow ponies.

"A possessive wand that's older than we can remember..." Twilight began, "where did it come from anyways," she was getting closer to the answers.

"Beatrix the Great... She was a unicorn like yourself," the blue pony glanced up at Twilight, "wielding great magical prowess, she could entertain all of Equestria with her marvelous feats. She was the first unicorn to use her magic for entertainment," the other ponies gawked at Trixie as if they never heard of the name before. "...of course no one remembers her now, it's been centuries."

"Still," Twilight nodded, "I'd like to hear more about this Beatrix."

"Very well, Beatrix ended her career when she finally settled down with a colt to raise a family. However when her first and only child was born without a horn, she was confronted with the fact that she wouldn't have an heir. Not wanting to gamble with having more children of the same fate, Beatrix had her own horn removed and custom fitted into a wand," Trixie summarized.

"So that explains it..." Twilight gave another nod.

"Not to change the subject or anything," Applejack started, "but where hay is Pinkie Pie? ...And Spike for that matter.

"Spike?" The purple unicorn nearly stuttered in shock, "you sure he's not here?" she began to look around every-pony, hoping to spot her dragon friend.

"I reckon so..." Applejack ended with a sigh, "...Who knows, maybe he's with Pinkie Pie?" The pony assumed as Rainbow Dash joined in.

"Yeah, I'm sure they're not _that_ far, I mean both of them were with us when Pinkie Pie pulled the wand out of Trixie's head."

"Wait a minute!" Trixie butted in with a face full of worry, "You mean to say the wand is _still_ out there?" She confronted Rainbow Dash, her eyes locked in on the blue pegasus'.

"...Uh, yeah, why's that?" Dash leaned her head back, intimidated by Trixie.

"Do you know how much danger we could be in if that wand fell into the wrong hooves? Clearly none of you do!" Trixie groaned, tugging at her hair with a hoof.

"D-d-danger?" Fluttershy, lowered her head at the word.

"Yes!" Trixie approached the yellow pegasus next, causing her inch back even further, "that same wand holds the power to wipe it's holder's memories if it so wills. Whoever has it now can't be held accountable for what they might do under it's influence!"

"Gosh dang..." Applejack was speechless, all of them knowing that wand was in the possession of Pinkie Pie. And with her personality, who knows what kind of chaos she could unleash onto Equestria. Twilight Sparkle was still overwhelmed with the fact that Spike was missing.

"Girls, what if Applejack says is true? And Spike really is with Pinkie Pie?" the unicorn took a small pause before continuing, "I can't bear to think about what might happen to him!" Twilight's face met with the ground, her hooves covering her eyes to hide her tears.

"Now now," Rarity trotted over to Twilight's side, consoling her, "I'm sure the chance of that being true is slim to none, come on Twilight, have some faith," The white unicorn gave her friend a hoof up.

"Okay..." Twilight wiped the last of her tears away, still a little shook up.

"Well gals," Applejack regained everyone's attention, "it seems our mission is clear: We gotta round-up Pinkie Pie before that wand messes with her head!" The orange pony glanced at Twilight Sparkle, noticing her sadness, "oh, and spike as well!" Applejack gave a sympathetic smile to her emotional friend.

"But that's the thing!" Rainbow Dash cut in, "we don't know where Pinkie Pie is, let alone ourselves!"

"Well let's fix that!" Applejack took charge in place of Twilight, "Rainbow Dash and Fluttershy, I want the two of you to scout out the land from the sky. Be sure to keep a lookout for towns, towers, castles, anything! Y'all got that?"

"Yep!" Rainbow Dash saluted her friend before taking off into the skies, Fluttershy only offering a quiet nod before following suit.

"What about us?" Trixie asked, "I don't want to be deadweight knowing our lives are at stake."

"Hmm," Applejack pondered for awhile before her stomach answered for her, "...Oh! Well I guess lookin' for some food wouldn't hurt. Trixie, how 'bout you and me look around in the trees, there might be some good fruits in 'em."

"I agree," Trixie nodded before walking over to the orange pony's side.

"As for you two... Er Rarity," Applejack hesitated, knowing Twilight was still coping with her emotions, "...keep Twi company, alright?" Applejack smiled.

"Of course," Rarity returned the gesture, giving her approval to stay behind.

The two ponies soon took their leave, going from tree to tree, bucking each one to see if it offered fruits. Trixie had some trouble getting the hang of it at first, though Applejack had given her some pointers to work on. Eventually Trixie had shown some progress.


	4. Chapter 4: Reassuring Campfire

**Chapter 4: Reassuring Campfire**

As the final hours of day dwindled away Rarity had gathered up some small branches that were on the ground. She had the intentions to start a small fire for her friends when they returned. Digging out a shallow pit, the white unicorn had dropped her collection of sticks and twigs inside, all ready to be ignited.

"Twilight, did you want to light up the fire?" Rarity asked, hoping that her friend would still be able to find joy in the simple things in life.

However, Twilight remained silent in her emotions, only shaking her head to give her response.

"Oh come on now, you can't let yourself be sad forever. Spike is probably doing just fine! Besides, you can't just jump to conclusions!" Rarity leaned down closer, making sure that Twilight couldn't just block her out.

"...You're right," The purple unicorn admitted, "I've been overreacting... But it's just Spike's been my first real friend, and I do worry about him seeing as he's still a baby dragon," Twilight tried her best to keep her eyes from the white unicorn.

"You should remain positive for Spike, no matter what situation he's in, I'm sure he wouldn't want you to be all downhearted now would he?" Rarity brought up another good point.

"No... He wouldn't," Twilight concurred, her depressive emotions slowly wearing away.

"Now just hold on to that thought!" The white unicorn encouraged her friend as she held out a twig in her hoof towards her.

"...Alright," Twilight let out a small sigh as she grabbed the twig in her mouth, bringing it over to the fire pit to drop it in. Not putting in much concentration, the purple unicorn's horn began to glow. As it shimmered, Twilight leaned her head down, touching the horn to the sticks, instantly starting a fire.

"_Phew, I didn't think that would work,_" Rarity kept to herself, wiping the beads of sweat from her head and muzzle. The white unicorn's magic wasn't powerful enough to start a fire on her own. Her horn's magic was mostly used for working with cloths and fabrics to create style. It was a miracle Twilight was with them, even if she was a little down in the dumps.

"Howdy girls, we're back!" Applejack and Trixie tore the unicorns' attention away from the growing fire. The two earth ponies had makeshift baskets with them, made from various twigs, sticks, and leaves. Both carrying an assortment of fruits.

"Oh wonderful!" Rarity's stomach came back to life as she laid her eyes on their collection.

"The darnedest thing though... We didn't find any apples, can y'all believe that?" The orange pony added. Rarity scanned over the fruits again, her eyes picking out pears, peaches, oranges, and many other colorful and foreign fruit.

"I don't mind!" Rarity's stomach didn't give her any reason to object. In the midst of her hunger, The unicorn glanced back at Twilight, her emotional appearance didn't change much, "Twilight, are you hungry?"

Twilight Sparkle was ripped from her thoughts. She gave Rarity a blank stare for a short moment before nodding with closed eyes. Lifting herself up, the purple unicorn trotted over towards the group.

"You girls hear anything from Fluttershy or Rainbow Dash yet?" Applejack questioned, laying her baskets down.

"No, not yet," Rarity shook her head.

"Well I hope they're alright," the orange pony hoofed at the ground, knowing there was not much they could do for the scouting pegasuses.

"Well why don't you girls come and warm up around the campfire?" Rarity suggested, occasionally eying up the baskets.

"...Sure, why not," Applejack let out a sigh as she plopped down in front of the fire's warmth.

"I'm sure you're exhausted too Trixie, come now, there's room for everypony!" Rarity's generosity knew no bounds.

"Y-you sure?" Trixie hesitated, wondering why these ponies were showing her kindness after admitting what horrible things she's done under the influence of the wand.

"I wouldn't be asking if I wasn't," the white unicorn shot a playful grin at her friend.

"Alright then..." Trixie removed the baskets from her back and approached the fire slowly.

"Just lettin' y'all know that the food's up for grabs," Applejack reminded, "just be mindful enough to save some for Rainbow Dash and Fluttershy," with that being said Rarity plucked out a few odds and ends for Twilight and herself.

"You should eat Twilight," The white unicorn levitated a pear in front of her friend.

"Okay..." Twilight exhaled, using her hoof to grab the floating fruit. After taking a bite, a brilliant question popped into the purple unicorns' head. "...Rarity, why aren't you upset- Or even worried about Sweetie Belle and Opalescence?"

"I am... But you can't assume the worse about your friends Twilight, And even if they did suffer a fate more terrible than ours, they wouldn't want us to mourn over it for the rest of our life!" The white unicorn spoke with a positive energy.

"I guess so..." Twilight was growing closer to recovering.

"I _know_ so dear," Rarity let out a giggle as she plucked out a peach with her magic, biting into it's skin without any hesitation.

"...Ah swear," Applejack shifted in her seat, riled up, "if those two aren't back soon, Ah'm looking for them myself!" The orange pony stomped a hoof into the grass.

"Calm down!" Rarity interjected, "I'm certain they're fine, if anything, we should wait until morning to assemble a search party!" Her commented provoked a grumbled from Applejack's mouth. The stubborn pony ignored the fact that dusk was moving in.

"Let's not argue..." Trixie interjected, knowing Twilight was in no position to be the mediator, "besides, it's best if we stay anyways, if we move, we risk the other ponies losing us," another point was thrown into the mix.

"...What about Princess Celestia?" Twilight spoke softly, "can't she fix this?"

"Apparently she ain't here at all," Applejack assumed, "or else we'd know fer sure, Celestia wouldn't let things get _this_ bad!"

"Do you think... Pinkie got to her?" The purple unicorn asked.

"Ah... Ah don't wanna think about it'" The orange pony laid back slowly, fighting back the thoughts Twilight tried to put in her head.

"Well, even if she did," Rarity began, "Pinkie Pie wouldn't be worth the effort for Princess Celestia. That wand is nothing in novice hooves."

"But still..." Trixie cut in again, "we found ourselves in the middle of nowhere, teleportation spells are extremely difficult and even more so for teleporting more than one object at once."

"So what yer sayin' is that Pinkie Pie is stronger than what we think she is?" Applejack questioned.

"Yes, because she lets the wand control her. The wand thrives off a host that's chaotic and unpredictable... I suppressed the compulsive thoughts it drove into my head the best I could when the wand was with me," Trixie avoided everyponies gaze.

"It didn't look as if it controlled you that much," Rarity commented.

"At first it didn't, but it slowly made me egotistical and a self-centered snob... I'm sorry for what I've done to you all..."

"No need to be sorry sugarcube," Applejack smiled, "What y'all should be doin' tho', is tellin' us how to get Pinkie Pie back to normal n' all,"

"Well... It's easier said than done," Trixie hesitated.

"But Pinkie got the wand off'a ya," the orange pony didn't see it as much of a struggle, "a'course there was a few set backs..." Rarity nodded, also witnessing Pinkie's struggles.

"It might just be easier to destroy the wand altogether," Rarity concluded.

"That's what I wanted to do from the beginning..." Trixie sighed, still caught in the snares of her own mistakes.

"Well that settles it then! We'll just break the wand in two!" Applejack pounded a fore-hoof on the ground.

"Still... It's not that easy," Trixie glared at the orange pony's enthusiasm, "If you want to destroy the wand for good, breaking it isn't enough."

"Huh?" Applejack became dumbfounded, her expectations crushed.

"With all the generations of knowledge put into the wand, it's going to take more than all the elements of Equestria to destroy it,"

"Elements...?" Rarity paused, "even the Elements of Harmony?"

"Elements of Harmony?" Trixie repeated, "...That's a new one," she admitted.

"Well ah reckon the Elements of Harmony can take care of that wand, now that ya mention it Rarity," Applejack grinned.

"It cleansed Princess Luna of Nightmare Moon, I'm certain that it can dispose of a ratty old wand," Rarity was sure of herself.

"I'm not familiar with the Elements of Harmony... But I'm sure the wand has more to it than meets the eye," the blue pony became slightly hesitant. Twilight found the strength to speak again.

"Even if the Elements of Harmony could overpower the wand... You girls forget that the wand has Pinkie Pie... We don't _have_ the Element of Laughter," the purple unicorn tore them down.

"L-laughter?" Trixie stuttered, "you're kidding right? You expect to destroy the wand with laughter?" The blue pony almost laughed herself.

"Not just laughter sugarcube," Applejack began to clarify, "ah'm the Element of Honesty, Rarity's Generosity, rainbow's Loyalty, Fluttershy's Kindness, an' Twilight's the magic spark driving us all!" Trixie glanced at the depressed unicorn, who looked as if she had no willpower to be the driving force of anything.

"You're still kidding right?" Trixie continued to be unconvinced, "you sound as if you're going to solve the problem with sunshine and flowers..."

"It's more than just sunshine and flowers dear," the white unicorn began to explain, "it's the power of friendship that makes the Elements of Harmony so potent. I'm certain that if it could save Princess Luna, it can save Pinkie Pie!"

"...But it's nothing if we're missing an element," Twilight repeated in a mumble, dragging down the groups morale.

"We'll just have'ta find a substitute then!" Applejack pounded one hoof on top of the other, "An' ah think ah'm lookin' right at her too!" Her gaze was set on Trixie.

"What? ...You're not talking about me, are you?" the blue pony scooted back a bit, not wanting to take the place of the Element of Laughter.

"Come on sugarcube, yer' the only other pony miles 'round, 'an we need ya more than ever. I know it might seem impossible to fill Pinkie's horseshoes, but we don't need a Pinkie Pie, we need the Element of Laughter," Applejack tried to persuade the pony.

"I'm sorry, but you're just not going to find the Element of Laughter in me..." Trixie shied her eyes away.

"Don't give up so soon," another voice called out from a few feet away.

"Who's there?" Applejack spun around to see a cloaked pegasus with it's hood up. Accompanying the pegasus was both Rainbow Dash and Fluttershy.

"It's just us Applejack!" Rainbow laughed at her friend's reaction as she approached the campfire.

"An' who's this?" The orange pony eyed up their new guest thoroughly. The new pegasus threw it's hood back to reveal it's horn, the new alicorn was unmistakably Princess Luna. "Ah'm... Ah'm so sorry yer highness," Applejack bowed, as the others followed suit, minus sorrowful Twilight and dumbfounded Trixie.

"No need to bow, not now," Luna nudged Applejack back up with a forehoof, "but please, lend an ear..." Everypony knew this wasn't going to lead to anything good.


End file.
